Time

Yes, it is time folks for another entry into the “Why Are We Here” series. Speaking of which, time is the subject if you hadn’t guessed from the title. Time is defined as: · noun: the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past. There are also several other definitions, but I am going with this one.

Maybe I am crazy, but I want to comment on this subject for a bit. Why is it that when we are in a hurry, time seems to fly? Why is it when we are bored, time seems to drag? It fascinates me that time seems to have fluctuations in it even though it is steady. How can that be? Is it just how time is perceived or is our internal chronometers thrown off by little things?

In previous entries I think I have mentioned my curiosity towards time. I drive my friends and wife nuts with the clocks and watches that I have collected. It especially drives my wife nuts with the hourly chimes, but hey, it is me. LOL Okay, I know you must think I am a nut job and you are thinking to yourself oh, God here he goes again ranting about something silly once more. But humor me for a few minutes and let us dive in to some examples of what I mean.

So, why is it that when we are running late, time seems to go so much faster. Hey, you know that you have to be at the appointment at exactly 2:15. You leave the house knowing you have 20 minutes to get there. 20 minutes an exact measure of time, but why does it feel as if those 20 minutes fly by. What causes that sensation of rush or hurry? Is that a built in perception that we have and if so, where does it come from?

On the other hand, you are at your daughters’ dance recital. The slated amount of time for this is 3 hours, yet, those 3 hours seem to last an eternity. What causes that feeling? I honestly thought this past one would never end, yet it was the 3 hours that we were promised. I am sure you can put your own scenario in here other then mine.

Why is it that when we are young, time seems to last forever? What I mean is this; when we are young, summers seem to last forever. Christmas, man, it seemed to be light years away. Any type of break from school was always an eternity to the next. Time seemed to go by so slowly. As kids we always tried to push time and to be older.

As adults, time seems to fly by and there never is enough, why? Christmas is here before you know it. Any type of break that you get in a job goes by like a wink of the eye. It seems as if just yesterday I was in my 20’s and all of the sudden, I am pushing 40’s. Where does the time go?

Now that I have given you more to think about, let me leave you with this, in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” there was an episode where Data was watching a tea pot boil. You know the old wives tale that states a watched pot never boils. Well, he was trying to prove this but because he was a machine and had an internal chronometer, it boiled the same time every time. So, this means that time is a constantly moving forward at the same pace, but yet, we see it otherwise.